Written by Sandra Gentleman, RD
Nutella vs peanut butter
Nutella vs peanut butter for a breakfast spread. Are we just talking about a delicious chocolatey icing or can Nutella actually be utilized as a nut butter?
Nutella is a tasty, chocolate hazelnut spread. Can this actually be a good alternative to peanut butter?
Is Nutella a nut butter and is it healthy?
When the iconic Canadian coffee shop, Tim Horton’s added a donut, filled with Nutella to their cream-filled donut offerings, you know it’s gotta be sweet and tasty!
Made from hazelnuts, it may be the only way that many people actually include hazelnuts in their regular eating pattern, but is it really a good way to get a serving of nuts?
In reviewing the Nutrition Facts label, Nutella’s first ingredient is sugar, followed by palm oil. Hazelnuts are the third ingredient down the list. Skim milk powder, cocoa, soy lecithin (an emulsifier) and vanillin finish off the list of seven ingredients in Nutella.
In fact, in only one tablespoon (their suggested serving of this spread) provides the equivalent of about three sugar cubes, in Nutella. This is a lot. Along with sugar, the palm oil fat rounds out that creamy texture.
No wonder it’s so tasty and popular with teens and kids!
This spread is similar to cream cheese, as a flavoring spread for toast…or donuts! Not a healthy alternative to peanut butter, or even as a great way to include a serving of nuts.
Hazelnuts in their whole, unprocessed form are very healthy and offer a diverse range of nutrients that can be helpful for prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Also, hazelnuts may possibly help prevent symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) which is common among men over the age of 40 years old. Symptoms of BPH cause men to have to wake up frequently throughout the night to pee. This is called nocturnal urination.
It is a very annoying symptom for men, especially those who need their consistent and regular deep sleep.
Hazelnuts have a plant sterol, called beta-sitosterol that has been shown to reduce the frequency of the need to urinate in the night. This can be a bonus for symptom-relief for men. Along with this plant-sterol, hazelnuts have fiber, which is something most people can benefit from getting more in their diet.
In addition, hazelnuts have a fair amount of protein, healthy (omega-3) plant fats, potassium, magnesium and selenium minerals, plus fat-soluble vitamin E, and other important vitamins and minerals to add to the diversity for nutritional health.
Nutella has a similar nutrition profile to chocolate icing sugar or cream cheese, which is to say, it’s more of a flavoring spread and not a nutritional source of protein for meals or snacks. It can be utilized in the same way that people would use sugar, fat or other flavorings in their recipes.
For a protein addition to meals or snacks, leave the Nutella in the pantry and grab a handful of hazelnuts to satisfy your hunger instead.
Listen in to Episode
Nutrition Nuggets 79 – How Healthy is Nutella?
Podcast – Sandra Gentleman, or on YouTube.